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Dec. 4 (UPI) — Authorities in Pennsylvania are searching for a grandmother who they believe may have disappeared into a sinkhole while looking for her missing cat.
Trooper Steve Limani of Pennsylvania State Police told reporters in a press conference Tuesday that they received a call at 1 a.m. concerning the disappearance of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard.
Limani said Pollard had left home Monday in search of her cat and was last seen at 5 p.m. that day in the unincorporated community of Marguerite, which is located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and home to old mines.
The ensuing search led to the discovery of her car at about 3 a.m. Tuesday. In the vehicle was Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter, who has since been reunited with her parents.
“Luckily, that 5-year-old was okay,” Limani said.
About 15 to 20 feet away, police also found a sinkhole about the size of a manhole. Limani said that they believe the sinkhole appeared as she was walking in the area.
“At that point it time, it becomes basically an all-hands-on-deck type of scenario and all of our emergency responders are called out,” he said.
John Bacha, chief of the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company, said they had difficulty getting close to the hole because “of the way it was undermined” but he managed to take a look inside with the use of a ladder and a harness but were unable to see Pollard.
He said specialized excavation equipment and teams have been brought to the scene.
Mike O’Barton, Unity Township supervisor, said a disaster emergency declaration has been made to aid with the search. He said doing so permits them access to the “any bit of equipment” they may need in the rescue operation.
“So it’s very important that we did this today,” he said. “And we’re here to do whatever it takes in this rescue mission.”
Limani said they have their “fingers crossed” and were calling on the public to keep the family in their prayers “that this ends up being a rescue mission.”
